Local Hayling Island MP Alan Mak is a strong supporter of Mengham's residents and businesses, and has taken immediate action following NatWest's branch closure plan. Alan Mak MP is pictured here with Hayling local councillors Andy Lenaghan, Clare Satchwell and Leah Turner, plus colleagues, in Mengham.
This page will carry updates from Alan Mak MP in connection with the proposed closure by NatWest of their Mengham Branch on Hayling Island:
19 September 2015 - Update
Havant and Hayling Island MP Alan Mak has received a reply from Royal Bank of Scotland Group (owners of NatWest) - see attachment and text below.
NatWest have agreed to attend a roundtable meeting hosted by Alan Mak MP with local traders and community representatives.
NatWest have also agreed to receive a petition which Alan Mak MP will present alongside local residents.
Work is now being done to find a date and finalise details for both the roundtable meeting and petition presentation, and further details will be posted when they are available.
====FULL TEXT OF REPLY TO ALAN MAK MP'S LETTER RE: HAYLING NATWEST BRANCH CLOSURE FROM RBS =====
Dear Mr Mak,
Re: NatWest Hayling Island
Thank you for your letter of 30 July 2015 to our Chief Executive, Ross McEwan. I have been asked to reply as I have executive responsibility for Personal and Business Banking.
I recognise that you are disappointed with our decision to close the Hayling Island branch. I can assure you that our decision was not taken lightly. When we make such a decision we look at a number of factors including the number of people using the branch and the alternatives in place for our customers in the local area. We ensure there are a range of options available for our customers and so made the commercial decision not to arrange a prior consultation.
The number of customers using the Hayling Island branch has dropped by 21% since 2011. However, our decision was not based on those statistics alone - nearly half of the active customers who regularly use the branch use other branches in the area. This trend is driven by the fact that increasingly people are using alternative ways of banking with us including by phone, mobile app, online and through the Post Office network.
A key part of our decision is the availability of alternative ways to bank in the local area. For those who prefer to do their banking face to face we have reached an agreement with the Post Office.
The agreement means our customers can make cash and cheque deposits, cash withdrawals, balance enquiries and business customers can get change. There is a Post Office within 100 metres of our branch and a further two Post Office branches on Hayling Island.
We are retaining our ATM and there are also a further seven free-to-use ATMs within one mile of our branch building.
Many day-to-day transactions can also be done quickly and easily via our increasingly popular Digital Banking Service or our Mobile App. We know that these methods do not appeal to everybody, and all the services available online can also be accessed via our 24 hour telephone banking service, for the cost of a local rate call.
Due to the broad range of facilities available on Hayling Island, we do not have any plans to introduce a Mobile Branch.
We write to all our regular customers three months in advance of the closure so that staff can engage with customers and the local community on the alternative ways they can still bank with us. We also write to local politicians and local press outlets and display posters in our branches. If any of our customers do have any questions about how they can continue to bank with us they can visit the branch at any time — our staff will be happy to help. Equally, the Local CEO, Sarah Wraith, has included her contact details in the letter to all affected customers.
The branch staff are at risk of redundancy. We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact on staff as we make this change. We are working quickly to minimise any uncertainty for our staff. Part of this process involves understanding whether or not they would like to be considered for voluntary redundancy. We recognise this can be a difficult time for our staff and we have offered guidance and counselling to those affected. Unite the union are also aware of the situation and have been consulted on the closure and how it affects our people.
The Access to Banking Protocol is available on RBS.com. The Customer & Community Engagement document will be available in branch for review and it will be published online one month prior to the closure. Details can be found at http://www.rbs.com/about/worldwide-locations/branch-closure-customer-an….
The branch will close on Tuesday 10 November 2015 and the signage will be removed the following day. We have a duty to shareholders and customers to openly market the property to give all interested parties a fair and transparent opportunity to purchase the property. We take all factors into account when assessing final offers (including, source of funding, planning etc.) to ensure that we proceed with the offer that makes the best overall sense for the Bank. We will immediately be marketing the property for sale and for that reason, there is unlikely to be a significant transitional period, and we do not anticipate that there will be any opportunity for any community organisation to use the premises on a temporary basis.
As the pace of consumer change increases we need to ensure our services are relevant to the needs of our customers and we have the right reach and presence in communities across the UK. To ensure that we have this we regularly review our network to make sure that it is the appropriate size and shape for current customer demand and needs. This meant that we closed 107 NatWest branches in 2014.
As I mentioned, our customers can visit the branch or contact the Local CEO at any time to talk about their banking. Chris Maguire and Sarah Wraith would also be happy to attend a round table meeting so that any interested parties can have the opportunity to share their thoughts. Chris will contact your office to arrange a meeting at a time convenient to you.
Regrettably, the changes in our customers' needs have meant that a difficult decision had to be made regarding the Hayling Island branch. I hope I have helped to explain the reasons why our decision remains unchanged, and the ways still available to bank with NatWest in the local area.
Yours sincerely,
Les Matheson
CEO, Personal and Business Banking
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31 July 2015
Havant and Hayling Island MP Alan Mak has described the proposed closure of Hayling Island's NatWest branch in Mengham as "very disappointing news" and taken immediate action, calling on Royal Bank of Scotland Group (owners of NatWest) to review and reverse their decision.
Alan Mak MP was notified on 29 July 2015 of Royal Bank of Scotland Group's decision to close the Hayling NatWest branch. He immediatey arranged to speak to Local Chief Executive Officer/Area Manager Sarah Wraith on 30 July 2015 to find out more about NatWest's plans.
Following this conversation, Alan Mak MP has written to Royal Bank of Scotland Group Chief Executive Ross McEwan on the same day asking him to reverse the decision, and commit to NatWest management meeting local residents and businesses to justify and explain their decision. See below for full text of the letter (in PDF and plain text formats).
Alan Mak MP said, “NatWest’s announcement is very disappointing news. As local MP, I acted immediately and have secured a promise from NatWest management that they will meet local traders and residents to justify and review their decision. I have also written to Ross McEwan, the Chief Executive of the RBS Group which owns NatWest, asking him to review and reverse this decision as a matter of urgency. In the meantime, we must keep supporting Mengham’s shops, the remaining two banks, and the Post Office which offers banking services. Our local economy in Mengham and across Hayling is strong and we must all work together to keep it that way.”
Hayling resident Claire Taylor has launched her own petition against the closure, which can be viewed below. Alan Mak MP has secured a promise from NatWest that they will take possession of the petition in due course.
==FULL TEXT OF ALAN MAK MP'S LETTER RE: HAYLING NATWEST BRANCH CLOSURE TO ROSS MCEWAN =======
Mr Ross McEwan
Chief Executive Officer
Royal Bank of Scotland Group
36 St Andrew Square
Edinburgh
EH2 2YB
30 July 2015
Dear Mr McEwan,
RE: Proposed closure of NatWest branch, 22 Mengham Road, Hayling Island, Hampshire, PO11 9BH
Like many local residents, I was very disappointed to learn yesterday of your plans to close the NatWest branch in Mengham on Hayling Island in November 2015. I am writing to ask you to review and reverse this decision.
The NatWest branch is located in a successful and vibrant business community, largely populated by small, independent shops who rely on the branch for a range of business banking services. The Branch also provides personal banking services to many of Hayling’s residents, including a large number who are elderly or infirm, or who do not drive and would be unable to travel to the next nearest branch in Havant which is five miles away.
Additionally, there will be a substantial group of NatWest customers on Hayling who will not be able to access banking services online, and who instead rely on a face-to-face banking services at the branch.
Mengham is an important residential and business community at the heart of Hayling, and the NatWest branch is a popular, well-used local facility which is part of the fabric of Mengham. It attracts customers into the area who will then visit other local businesses, and plays a key role in the day-to-day functioning of our local economy.
The long-term interests of NatWest and its shareholders lie in supporting local businesses and communities such as those on Hayling Island, all of which require banking services and will remember the commitment shown to them by NatWest if you remain. At a time when the financial services sector must continue to work hard to regain public trust, I can see no better way than to operate at heart of local communities like Mengham, serving Hayling Island’s businesses and residents as you have done for many years.
Your plans have prompted a strong sense of disappointment and anger amongst local residents and businesses, so I would be grateful if you could look again at this decision as a matter of urgency, including providing answers to the questions attached to this letter.
When the closure was announced I took immediate action and spoke to Chris Maguire from your public affairs team and Sarah Wraith, your Local CEO/Area Manager covering Hayling Island. They were both very helpful and I would be grateful if you passed on my thanks to them. In the same spirit, I would be grateful for your assistance and given the strength of public interest in this matter, I will be putting this letter and your reply into the public domain.
Yours sincerely,
Alan Mak MP
Encs.
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Questions Re: Proposed closure of NatWest branch, 22 Mengham Road, Hayling Island, PO11 9BH
1) Please can you explain the reasons behind your decision to close the Hayling Island branch of NatWest?
2) Why were Hayling branch customers, local residents and businesses not consulted before this decision was made, and only notified afterwards?
3) In his e-mail to me, your colleague Chris Maguire states that there has been a 21% decline in transactions at the branch since 2011. Please can you confirm that this closure decision has been made not just on a purely statistical basis and that other factors, such as the branch’s importance to local businesses and residents (many of whom are elderly), have been taken into account as well?
4) What steps can the local community take to ensure you reverse your decision? For example, if there was an increase in transaction volume at this branch, would this cause you to change your decision?
5) Will the Local CEO/area manager, Branch manager and/or senior NatWest colleagues agree to the following meetings in order to explain and justify the closure decision to local residents, businesses and the wider community:
a) A round-table meeting in the constituency chaired by Alan Mak MP with a group representing interested local stakeholders (for example, Havant Borough Council; local residents and local businesses; and community groups);
b) An open public meeting in the constituency, hosted by Alan Mak MP, where any branch user or Hayling resident can attend and ask questions;
c) Drop-in advice sessions at the Mengham branch where local residents and customers can share their concerns on a one-to-one or small group basis.
6) In the event that you choose not to respond to community concerns and maintain the decision to close the branch, I understand that NatWest operates a fleet of mobile banks. Can you ensure that a mobile bank would visit Mengham on a regular basis, including for a sustained period following the branch’s closure in the run-up to Christmas (which will be busy for both residents and local businesses)?
7) Please can you provide details of the measures you are putting into place to ensure that existing and potential customers are made aware of alternative banking facilities in the area should the branch close?
8) You have suggested that the nearby Post Office will be providing a range of services previously provided at the branch if it closes. Please can you clarify exactly which services currently provided by the branch will be available at the Post Office, and which will not?
9) Please can you reassure me and the local community that the closure of the branch will not lead to existing staff losing their jobs? Please can you describe the steps you are taking to ensure that this is the case?
10) Please can you confirm that the Local CEO and/or branch manager are willing to receive a petition on behalf of local residents and businesses, presented by me as their local MP, and that it will be taken into consideration?
11) Please can you provide an outline (and a timeline) of the steps you will take should you move forward with the closure of the branch in November 2015?
12) Please can you confirm that if the branch closes, NatWest will (a) ensure that a new occupier is found so that the community is not left with an empty, unused building; (b) there will be no covenants or other prohibitions preventing another bank from moving in; and (c) if a voluntary group were to move in, for example to launch a Hayling Museum, you would use your best endeavours to assist them, including with financial assistance?
13) Please can you confirm that residents who are concerned or who have questions can contact the Local CEO/area manager (Sarah Wraith) directly– and that every such enquiry will receive a personal and timely reply?
14) Please can you confirm that NatWest will be adhering to all aspects of the Access to Banking Protocol, and provide details about how you will meet its requirements, including any impact assessments you have made? As you will know, the main highs street banks including yours, consumer groups and HM Government have signed up to an industry-wide agreement to work with customers and communities to minimise the impact of branch closures.